Denial
by Commander Zia
Summary: #6: Break Away. In Ba Sing Se, Zuko and Sokka have been keeping a secret: their friendship. But no secret can be kept forever.


_Well, it's been a while. In fact, exactly a year since my last post. What with WriYe this year, I may be posting a few new stories._

****_Anyhow: this is #6 of the 100 Theme Prompts._

**6. Break Away**

"I- uh- have to go. Now. They'll be worried."

Zuko blinked. Oh yes.

"But you know, even if you are still a major prick, today was fun." Sokka smiled as he stood up from their small table at the rickety restaurant where they'd spent the evening and began to brush off his light, Earth Kingdom clothing. Zuko, too, was wearing those peasant clothes, but while they merely served to emphasize of how utterly alien he was, on Sokka they worked in a distinctly non-Earth Kingdom kind of way. He looked sort of like a forest spirit, deep tan skin like tree-bark beneath green cloth leaves.

Zuko nodded solemnly in agreement. "Would you like to… hang out again sometime?"

"Sure. We're still searching for Appa," his cheery face fell slightly at the thought, "But I should be free in a couple of days. I'll come get you. Maybe we can go and explore that park. It's kind of small, but there should be enough room for sparring. You can teach me some more sword tricks." He mimed swinging a sword through the air. He looked like an idiot now, but Zuko knew that he was actually incredibly skilled at the art for someone who'd only just begun. He really ought to buy a sword of his own. Zuko tensed a little at the thought that, perhaps, if he still had any of the money he'd been born into he could buy Sokka the best sword in all of Ba Sing Se. It seemed he actually couldn't, indeed, go a full ten minutes without thinking of what treason he was practicing here.

"Thank…" As Zuko looked up to thank the water tribesman, he found him gone. Of course. He'd been right, it was getting dark. He should get back to the shop to help uncle close down.

Zuko barely made it out of the front doors of the shop when he heard a ferocious shriek, and was nearly drowned on the spot. The violent splash of water crashed into him, slamming him against the wall. He didn't have to guess who it was, although her presence confused him. Drawing his dao swords, he got ready to defend himself.

In front of him stood the Avatar, Sokka's sister, and a young girl, even younger than the Avatar it seemed, dressed in some kind of simple but good-quality Earth Kingdom uniform.

"You!" Sokka's sister shrieked. Several passerby turned their heads, but didn't linger long enough to notice anything peculiar. Fights broke out often in the lower ring, which was where Sokka and he always went to escape the watchful eyes of those who might recognize them.

"Sokka, what is this?" Zuko growled, turning to the boy. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, and a little worried.

"Don't speak to my brother as if you know him!" The girl yelled, preparing for another attack.

"Katara, stop." Sokka said. It was a command, not a suggestion. His sister faltered, and turned to him in question. "This," He sighed, "This is who I was meeting here. Not a girl, not a friend. Zuko." Zuko couldn't help but feel slightly offended by that, even if he knew Sokka was being insulting for the group's sake. It had taken him long to admit it to himself, but Sokka did seem to be his first friend. Blue eyes flashed apologetically in his direction before Sokka turned back to his sister.

"What are you guys talking about?" The youngest, new girl asked. Her head turned slightly towards the direction of the water tribesmen, but she didn't look. Zuko was surprised to realize that she couldn't. Blank, useless eyes sat half open behind bored lids. "Is this the same ponytail prince you were telling me about?"

"But he's not a prince." Sokka insisted. "Not anymore. I mean, he wasn't really before," Zuko clenched his fists but held back, remembering their arguments about that, "but you remember what happened in that town, with his crazy sister! His nation has turned on him."

"All he's ever done is hunt us down and try to hurt Aang!" Katara seethed. "He threatened our village Sokka! Tell me why I shouldn't just drown him now and rid the world of another Fire Nation scumbag!"

Zuko was unable to speak, still faltering inwardly. He… he was still a prince. He was just taking a leave. It was his destiny. The only reason he hadn't taken the Avatar yet was because he happened to travel in the company of a certain sensible young man who was surprisingly satisfying to spar with. He… he would. Just not without honor, he wouldn't sneak up on them. They didn't even have their bison, they weren't going anywhere.

"Katara, he's done some terrible things, I get that." Sokka said with a final eyepology to Zuko, "But he's changed. I'm not saying he's the greatest guy ever, but he runs a teashop with his Uncle, in the upper ring. They're refugees, Katara. They're being hunted, just like us. I know it's hard to accept, but they aren't hurting anyone here. He's known we were here since Aang dropped leaflets for Appa everywhere, but he hasn't even tried to attack! He was only hunting Aang so that his country would let him come back home, but it's already turned its back on him. He has no reason to hurt us if we don't hurt him."

Sokka's tactics seemed to be working, but Zuko could barely see Katara's slight-softened features through the haze of red. No. That wasn't true. They would let him back home, there'd just been a mistake. His father would never send Azula after him. His father would never try to kill him! His father- well not loved, but his father cared for him! He was his son! His honor was not lost!

"You seem to know a lot about this guy, Snoozles." The young girl said lazily, and Aa- and the Avatar seemed to agree with her sentiments. "Was this who you were with in that shop?"

"I just found his teashop today." Sokka said quickly. "I was making sure he wouldn't try and capture Aang."

"Liar." The young girl said blandly. All of them were staring at Sokka. This was actually a perfect time to attempt escape, but Zuko wasn't going to risk getting past Katara's twitchy, paranoid defenses. "You've been gone a lot lately. Was it with him?"

"Sokka!" The Avatar finally spoke up, in a sort of squeaky voice. "You said you were searching for Appa!"

"I…" Sokka's eyes flickered to Zuko, but they both know he couldn't offer assistance in this situation.

"Sokka, he is the enemy!" Katara shouted. He pointed at Zuko harshly, but thankfully didn't attack. Zuko allowed his defensive form to begin to sag a little.

"He's not the enemy!" Sokka boomed suddenly. The whole group stopped and just stared at him for a moment, and Zuko was embarrassed to find himself just as baffled. He knew that Sokka would be willing to tell a few lies to keep their outings a secret, but he didn't know that Sokka would be willing to go so far. That he actually cared that much. "He's my friend. He's changed. He's not Prince Zuko anymore, Katara. His Earth Kingdom name is Li. He works at a teashop all day and sometimes at night he goes on long walks. He lives in a dingy apartment. He can't talk about the war just like we can't. He's a refugee, Katara, and he's on our side. He won't hurt us because he no longer has any reason to!"

"But he-"

"What, do you think an earthbender gave him that scar?" Sokka demanded incredulously. "Katara, you don't have to agree, but you have to understand. If you fight him here you're going to ruin what little he has left. If the Dai Li catch him he and his uncle will be arrested and executed or, if we're really lucky, it'll be the Fire Nation that comes to take him away and execute him, and maybe a few hundred civilians along the way, just for the laughs."

The silence that followed was as thin and tight as a drum.

"We need to talk." Katara finally snarled, between clenched teeth. She turned to face Zuko head on, glaring daggers. "If I see your ugly face again, I won't hesitate. Nor will I if I ever even think that you've met with my brother." Then, with a sharp turn, she led the small group away down the street.

Sokka hesitated, turning to him with a look on his face too confusing the read.

"Thank you for lying for me." Zuko said.

Sokka's eyes widened. And then, finally, they narrowed again. To Zuko's surprise the boy's back stiffened.

"If you think I was lying," He said, in a voice that was sharp and biting, "then you're just as stupid as she thinks you are."

The water tribesman followed his friends down the street, and soon his familiar bouncing wolftail disappeared, swallowed by the crowd.


End file.
